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This section looks at the Ontario government in context of
ways to reduce risks or exposure to the impacts of climate change.
The commitments listed are described in global section 7.1.2.1.
and given context in this section. Activities for all a.b.c sections
are found here.
7.2.2.1abc Ontario Government Policy for emission reduction
plans or mitigation of the effects of climate change with respect
to international commitments with the United States with respect
to water in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River.
The government of Ontario is committed to a Conservation Culture.
Adaptations that reduce the risk to damage from climate change
are a great part of this approach.
Conservation of energy by of all sectors reduces the required
generation and transmission of electrical energy.
Mitigation strategies to reduce emissions include reviewing
coal-fired electrical generating stations status with reference
to gas-powered stations, nuclear power stations and encouraging
alternative sources of energy production.
The connection and the urgency to do both adaptation and mitigation
for climate change is shown in the figure below.
Source : International Joint Commission (IJC) Climate Change
and Water Quality in the Great Lakes Region. May2003 www.ijc.org
ACTIVITY 1
For one of the sectors below:
Research and report the status and plans with respect to mitigation
or reduction of emissions addressing future needs and effects
of climate change:
- for Ontario
- for your municipality
- for you and your family.
Sectors: Government, Buildings, Transportation, Industry, Agriculture,
Forestry, Energy Supply, Waste Management.
Recommendations which need to be supported by government policy
for managing the future with respect to climate change are listed
below.
The sooner mitigation or emission reduction policies are developed
and put into action the more the cost of make the effort can
be reduced. The graph below represents the global costs of stabilizing
carbon dioxide concentrations at levels higher than 368ppm carbon
dioxide concentration in 2000.
RESEARCH NEEDS (after IJC):
Climate impact assessment is moving toward a more participatory
process. Research must include practitioner/stakeholder and researcher
views of what is needed to understand climate change, the impacts,
and adaptive responses.
Emphasis has been placed on understanding bio-physical systems
since mitigation is based on reducing emissions.
More attention must be placed on understanding human and institutional
behaviour in the face of a changing climate. Methods must be
agreed upon to ensure data are preserved for future reference
and use. Sensitivity of the Great Lakes beneficial uses to climate
change must be included.
The list requires working and planning together within
Ontario communities about what needs to be done.
- Research needs are listed by seven themes:
- Monitoring, surveillance, and analysis.
- Climate change scenarios.
- Model development.
- Vulnerability, impact, and adaptation assessments.
- Economic assessment.
- Adaptation.
- Communication.
Ontario hosted one of the earliest scientific world conferences
on climate change!
Historically Ontario was part of the Canadian scientific community
in developing the Montreal Protocol in 1987 an agreement to
ban ozone-depleting substances. Not only was this a precedent-setting
international effort in itself but it led to the conference hosted
in Toronto in 1988.
In 1988, several leading scientific experts presented preliminary
results of the current understanding of climate change to a world
gathering of scientists, politicians, policy advisors, engineers
and others, held in Toronto. This meeting was the first of its
kind.
The Prime Ministers of Canada and Norway, environment and energy
Ministers and other policy makers from many other governments
attended.
The conference participants, in the opening sentences of their
formal statement, issued this clear warning to the international
community:
1988: Toronto World Conference Participants Statement
"Humanity is conducting an unintended, uncontrolled,
globally pervasive experiment whose ultimate consequences could
be second only to a global nuclear war."
Source: Proceedings of the World Conference on the Changing
Atmosphere: Implications for Global Security, WMO report # 710,
P292 (1988).
Some at the time regarded this statement as alarmist. They cautioned
for the need to undertake better assessments of the science to
better identify the risks - given the complexity and uncertainty
related to climate change science. However, the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change, or the IPCC was established and the
first global assessment efforts began.
Canadian scientists played a significant role in the IPCC assessment
process. Many are from the Government of Ontario and the Ontario
Region of Environment Canada.
Canadians represented more than 4% of the scientists involved
in the 2001 the third
assessment and review (TAR) process. Of these, about two-thirds are with government
research agencies and the remainder from academia - the universities.
Source : H. Hengeveld et al., (2002) Science and Impacts
of Climate Change CD Presentation Graphics MSC Environment
Canada/ ESS Natural Resources Canada, December
ACTIVITY 2
- What does TAR stand for? WG 1?
- What percentage of the total of
the world's contributing
scientists were Canadian?
ACTIVITY 3 Research
How well does #2 represent Canada by % of the total
global population?
Is the % Canadian contribution representation by population
for this global project?
Since then other international science conferences on climate
change held in Toronto include one on the Urban Heat Island Effect
and the most recent State of the Lakes Ecological Conference
- SOLEC - The International Joint Commission biennial meeting
in 2004.
The Government of Ontario is presently undertaking a review
of plans for growth and development while at the same time encouraging
a conservation culture. This acknowledges the issues of sustainable
growth and communities facing climate change projections. Reducing
the need for generating electricity and burning fossil fuels,
providing public transportation initiatives support this policy
review.
ACTIVITY 4
Check the Government of Ontario website. www.gov.on.ca for
further information.
Browse each ministry to check its mandate
with respect to environmental and climate change issues.
Choose one policy or one ministry
and report your findings.
The general public needs to become informed and help the government
and agencies set policies and priorities in actions to limit
the effects of climate change. As seen in the document below,
projections for the future are based on what we know now. Not
taking action because of uncertainties increases the risk and
costs of damage due to the effects of climate change.
The Uncertainty of Climate Change and Impacts
Modified from www.ijc.org Climate
Change and Water Quality in the Great Lakes Region, 2003.
Most impacts of climate change described (in the report) are
developed from impact assessments. These assessments are based
on case studies of sensitivity to current and historical climate
(e.g. extreme events). Climate change scenarios are used as models
to project future conditions (e.g. ecosystems and economic sectors). These
projections identify risks due to climate change.
Uncertainties in the causes of climate change, the rate,
range and the size of the changes make it more difficult to take
actions to deal with impacts of climate change.
This creates a challenge for society as a whole to believe that
human activities contribute to climate change. Whether climate
change is an issue to be concerned about, and whether they should
act. Without a high degree of certainty, public understanding,
and support, policy and decision-makers, although concerned,
are not necessarily moved to act.
However, uncertainty should not be used as an excuse not to
act. Failure to adapt may leave Ontario poorly prepared
to cope with negative changes, and with increased probability
of severe consequences.
As the climate continues to change, society's ability to protect
sensitive systems may be further challenged. In addition,
like the acid rain issue, there may be climatic surprises, e.g.
unanticipated effects or a threshold change that may not necessarily
be reversible after the stress is reduced or removed.
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